August 29, 2006
SOMETIMES HE ALMOST SEEMS TO GRASP CLINTONISM:
Obama chides Africa on visit (Washington Times, August 29, 2006)
If Africans welcoming home a native son thought that rising Democratic star Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois came only in praise of the continent of his roots, they were mistaken.
In South Africa last week, he took the government to task for its tepid response to the AIDS epidemic that has ravaged sub-Saharan Africa. He also criticized the government of President Thabo Mbeki for its "quiet diplomacy" with Zimbabwe, demanding that more pressure be put on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Kenya risks losing its status as a model of African democracy if it does not urgently crack down on corruption that has reached crisis levels and stifled development, Mr. Obama said yesterday.
Posted by Orrin Judd at August 29, 2006 9:43 AM
Comments
You can still be a Clintonite and build up your future status for a run at higher office, but only on issues where the bulk of the hard-core Democratic Party voters aren't paying attention. And unless there's a way to use an African crisis for domestic political gain, they don't care about the continent, which allows Obama to actually say what he believes without having to pander.
Posted by: John at August 29, 2006 10:47 AM